Submitted

Mon, May 1st 2017 12:10 pm

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and
Historic Preservation, and Clean Communities of Western NY, will host a
"ride-and-drive" event featuring clean fuel vehicles. It will take
place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, on Goat Island at Niagara Falls
State Park.

The event will showcase clean fuel vehicles,
construction and maintenance equipment that can help state agencies, local
governments, private companies and individuals reduce emissions.

Visitors with a valid driver license will be able to
test out sedans, SVUs, pickups, vans, utility vehicles, golf-carts, off-road
and on-road vehicles, construction and maintenance equipment, charging stations
and more from over 20 vendors.

All featured vehicles and equipment are powered by a
variety of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, electric, compressed natural gas (CNG),
hydrogen and propane engines. Information specialists will be able to answer
all questions on the vehicles and equipment.

Additionally, the New York State Energy Research and
Development Authority will be on hand to discuss Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's new
initiative that will allow for tax rebates on electric vehicles and electric
charging stations.

Vehicles will be on display in the Goat Island
parking lot No. 3. Admission there, as well as parking in lot No. 2, will be
free. There will be a free shuttle back and forth between the two lots.

The rain date is Wednesday, May 10.

The event continues State Parks' efforts to make the
park system a model of sustainability practices.

Clean fuel vehicles make up 26 percent of State
Parks' vehicle fleet, and a project to install a 693-kilowatt solar system at
Robert Moses State Park will make it the first energy-neutral state park in the
nation.

New York state's OPRHP oversees 180 state parks and
35 historic sites, which are visited by 65 million people annually. For more
information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com, connect on Facebook, or follow on Twitter.